Revelation Chapter 12
Verse 3 “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.”
“In the Bible a (wild) beast (Hebrew: cheva Strong’s # 2423; Greek: therion Strong’s # 2342) is at various times used as a symbol of government. “In Daniel’s prophecy (Dan 7:1–8), the four great universal empires of the earth were thus symbolized.
1) Babylon was the Lion
2) Medo-Persia the Bear
3) Greece the Leopard
4) Rome the Dragon
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.” (Dan 7:7)
The Roman Empire still persists even unto today. Christendom is a part of that great Roman Empire which began in the days of Caesar and which, according to the Scriptures, still is in the world. “Practically all Bible exegetes agree that the Dragon of the Revelation represents the purely civil power, wherever it may be found [emphasis added].” But it is to be observed that both the dragon and the beast of Revelation are pictured as having seven heads and ten horns (Rev 12:3; 17:3).
Yet the dragon and the beast are two separate and distinct symbolism's, having a similar body form. It is this latter feature of similarity of configuration that serves as a mark of identification, denoting that both animals, though diverse in other respects, basically represent Rome.” (“The Keys of Revelation”, Pages 295,296)
“In His Word, God has been pleased to recognize the Papacy likewise as a system, as a government (a “beast”). Papacy claims that the Kingdom of God, Messiah’s Kingdom, was established in 799 A.D.; that it lasted a thousand years, just as the Bible declares Christ’s Kingdom will last; and that it expired in 1799 A.D. They claim also that since 1799 this Kingdom of Christ (that is, the Papal system, represented in Revelation as the Beast) has been suffering violence; and that during this time the Devil has been loosed, in fulfillment of Rev 20:7.”
“And another sign appeared in heaven (another sign, another “evidence or proof ” that a dispensational change was occurring): behold a great fiery red dragon”
“In Daniel’s account (Dan 7:7 See above) it is stated that the fourth beast had ten horns, but no mention was made of it having any more than one head, nor was any mention made of its being “red”. The color red and the additional “heads” and “crowns” indicate that a change of some magnitude had taken place in the dragon. Some type of remodeling or reorganization of this fourth beast had taken place as symbolized here in pictorial language. John sees it as another “wonder” another “sign” in heaven (the controlling elements of society), something new on the scene, something which had not been there before. History provides the answers the knowledge which allows us to understand these symbols, to understand what has taken place. John was familiar with the Roman Empire during his life (the fourth beast), but what he sees now pictured in this great fiery red dragon is something new to him, a “wonder”. (“The Revelation Decoded and Explained”, Page 164)
If John was already familiar with the fourth beast, the Roman Empire why do you imagine that he should now consider it a “wonder” to behold?
Although we believe John may not have been fully aware of what the additional “heads and crowns” upon the dragon typified we are ascertain that he well knew what the dragon itself typified, the fourth beast or universal empire, Pagan Rome, so this vision in itself would not amaze him, thus we must assume that there was something else about this picture which astonished him. The answer lies in what our brother pointed out above. It’s not the Fiery Red Dragon with its additional heads and crowns that he wonders at, it’s WHERE this Fiery Red Dragon is located, in heaven this is what astonishes him.
We will continue with our next post.
Verse 3 “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.”
“In the Bible a (wild) beast (Hebrew: cheva Strong’s # 2423; Greek: therion Strong’s # 2342) is at various times used as a symbol of government. “In Daniel’s prophecy (Dan 7:1–8), the four great universal empires of the earth were thus symbolized.
1) Babylon was the Lion
2) Medo-Persia the Bear
3) Greece the Leopard
4) Rome the Dragon
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.” (Dan 7:7)
The Roman Empire still persists even unto today. Christendom is a part of that great Roman Empire which began in the days of Caesar and which, according to the Scriptures, still is in the world. “Practically all Bible exegetes agree that the Dragon of the Revelation represents the purely civil power, wherever it may be found [emphasis added].” But it is to be observed that both the dragon and the beast of Revelation are pictured as having seven heads and ten horns (Rev 12:3; 17:3).
Yet the dragon and the beast are two separate and distinct symbolism's, having a similar body form. It is this latter feature of similarity of configuration that serves as a mark of identification, denoting that both animals, though diverse in other respects, basically represent Rome.” (“The Keys of Revelation”, Pages 295,296)
“In His Word, God has been pleased to recognize the Papacy likewise as a system, as a government (a “beast”). Papacy claims that the Kingdom of God, Messiah’s Kingdom, was established in 799 A.D.; that it lasted a thousand years, just as the Bible declares Christ’s Kingdom will last; and that it expired in 1799 A.D. They claim also that since 1799 this Kingdom of Christ (that is, the Papal system, represented in Revelation as the Beast) has been suffering violence; and that during this time the Devil has been loosed, in fulfillment of Rev 20:7.”
“And another sign appeared in heaven (another sign, another “evidence or proof ” that a dispensational change was occurring): behold a great fiery red dragon”
“In Daniel’s account (Dan 7:7 See above) it is stated that the fourth beast had ten horns, but no mention was made of it having any more than one head, nor was any mention made of its being “red”. The color red and the additional “heads” and “crowns” indicate that a change of some magnitude had taken place in the dragon. Some type of remodeling or reorganization of this fourth beast had taken place as symbolized here in pictorial language. John sees it as another “wonder” another “sign” in heaven (the controlling elements of society), something new on the scene, something which had not been there before. History provides the answers the knowledge which allows us to understand these symbols, to understand what has taken place. John was familiar with the Roman Empire during his life (the fourth beast), but what he sees now pictured in this great fiery red dragon is something new to him, a “wonder”. (“The Revelation Decoded and Explained”, Page 164)
If John was already familiar with the fourth beast, the Roman Empire why do you imagine that he should now consider it a “wonder” to behold?
Although we believe John may not have been fully aware of what the additional “heads and crowns” upon the dragon typified we are ascertain that he well knew what the dragon itself typified, the fourth beast or universal empire, Pagan Rome, so this vision in itself would not amaze him, thus we must assume that there was something else about this picture which astonished him. The answer lies in what our brother pointed out above. It’s not the Fiery Red Dragon with its additional heads and crowns that he wonders at, it’s WHERE this Fiery Red Dragon is located, in heaven this is what astonishes him.
We will continue with our next post.
